


still the same man

by laireshi



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Comics), Marvel 616, Superior Iron Man - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fix-It, M/M, Why yes I'm fixing SIM again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-26
Updated: 2014-12-26
Packaged: 2018-03-03 17:22:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2858867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony is a wanted man on Earth. Travelling with the Guardians again might be the only thing that can save him -- in more ways than just one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	still the same man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NohaIjiachi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NohaIjiachi/gifts).



> This is so ridiculously late. I'm ashamed of myself. Still, best wishes!
> 
> Thanks for beta to [Comicsohwhyohwhy](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Comicsohwhyohwhy/pseuds/Comicsohwhyohwhy) :) And for talking to me about it even though I took _ages_ , [missbecky](http://archiveofourown.org/users/missbecky/pseuds/missbecky)!
> 
> I started writing it before the first issue of SIM.

When Peter answered Carol's call, he expected _how are yous_ and Earth rumours and a bit of fun.

He didn't expect her to be looking over her shoulder as if she expected to see someone there, very serious, and say, “if you ever cared about Tony, come to Earth.”

He ran to the bridge to change the course to his home planet.

“What's going on?” Rocket asked.

Peter shook his head. “I don't know. Tony's in trouble.”

***

The coordinates Carol had given him led them to a house hidden in a forest.

“You sure it's here?” Rocket asked.

Peter nodded. “She looked stressed. I think she's hiding.”

“Let's go,” Gamora said.

Peter hesitated. “I think it might be best if I go alone.”

“Don't be an idiot,” Rocket said, looking annoyed.

“Really,” Peter said. “We don't know if we won't have to leave quickly or who is there with her.”

“I am Groot.”

Peter looked at him, then nodded. “Okay.” They were in a forest, after all. Groot wouldn't exactly look out of place.

“If something happens, call us,” Drax said.

“I know.”

He left, Groot following him and then hiding between the trees. Peter approached the small house. Carol looked out of the door when he was close.

“Thank you,” she said. She seemed tired.

“What's wrong?” Peter asked.

She gestured at him to come inside. Peter immediately found himself in a small room. He looked around, and froze.

There, on the sofa in the corner, lay Tony. Peter had taken a step towards him before he noticed there was another man in the room, sitting next to Tony. He had grey hair and there was a cane next to his chair. He was looking at Tony with worry in his eyes, and seemed not to notice Peter.

“What's wrong?” Peter asked.

The man turned to him. “Thanks for coming, Peter,” he said.

Peter raised one eyebrow. They knew each other?

The man must have noticed his uncertainty, because he smiled unhappily. “I'm Steve Rogers,” he said.

“You—oh. Sorry.” Peter wanted to ask what had happened, but it wasn't the time, and he was more interested in Tony anyway.

“Tony is a wanted man on Earth right now,” Steve said. “You have to take him away. He'll want to come back. He thinks he deserves punishment. Don't let him. Whatever he does, don't bring him back until Carol tells you it's safe.”

Peter nodded slowly, trying to catch up with what was going on. He could do that, but . . . “What happened?”

“The Red Skull happened,” Carol said grimly. “He did something to Tony. To other people too, but let's say it was . . . less spectacular.”

“Tell me,” Peter said, trying to sound calm.

“Do you know what Extremis is?” Carol asked. Peter shook his head, and she looked at Steve.

“It's a technovirus that can rewrite human biology,” Steve said. He seemed tense. “Tony had injected himself with it once, years ago. It let him control tech, among other things.”

Peter knew there was something Steve wasn't saying. “What does it have to do with here and now?”

“Red Skull gained telepathic powers. He changed something in Tony's mind. Tony injected himself again, and then started selling it. He let it loose it on civilians. It was a massacre.”

“Tony wouldn't—” Peter started saying, because he was sure of that one thing.

“And he didn't,” Carol said. “It wasn't really him. But try and explain it to people who were harmed. Try and explain it to _him_.”

Peter nodded slowly. “So they want his head, and he just wants to give himself up,” he said. “I take it he's back to normal?”

“He is,” Steve said quietly. “But he still has Extremis. It's not that easy to get rid of it. Hence the bracelet.”

Only now did Peter notice that Tony did indeed have a heavy bracelet set around one wrist. “A dampener?”

Steve nodded. “He can take it off himself. He doesn't want to.”

“Why is he unconscious?”

Carol looked uncomfortable. “We just established he wanted to give himself up,” she said.

Peter understood what she wasn't saying. “So he doesn't know you called me.”

“No. No, he doesn't.”

Peter bit at his lip. He didn't want to _force_ Tony to go with the Guardians. It didn't feel right.

“If he stays here, he'll go to jail, and willingly,” Steve said, as if he could see what Peter was thinking. “A superhero in a jail full of supervillains.”

Peter thought about it for less than a second. The mere idea made him feel sick. “I guess I'll have to keep him safe away from here, then,” he said, and he could see relief on both their faces.

“Thank you,” Steve said.

Carol nodded. “You should go.”

“His armour?” Peter asked.

“It's in his body,” Carol said. “If he ever takes that bracelet off, that is.”

Peter decided not to ask further. Tony would tell him, if he wanted to. He moved closer to Tony with the intention of picking him up. He stopped when Steve put his hand on Tony's wrist gently for a moment.

“Tell him I'm sorry,” he asked.

Peter nodded.

***

Peter sat at the edge of Tony's bed. He'd put him in the room Tony had used when he'd been travelling with them, explained the situation to his friends, and then had gone back to Tony. He didn't want him to wake up alone, especially since Tony apparently didn't know he was going to wake up on a spaceship, away from Earth. Peter looked at the heavy bracelet on Tony's wrist. It looked uncomfortably like one half of a pair of handcuffs. But Carol said Tony wanted to keep it on.

What exactly had he done to himself? What had been done to him?

Peter was more than curious, but he knew he wouldn't ask if Tony didn't volunteer the answers on his own.

Tony sat up suddenly, looked around, his eyes wild. When he focused on Peter's face, he seemed fully conscious.

“What am I doing here?” he asked.

“You're safe,” Peter answered, not an answer at all.

“Carol,” Tony said. It wasn't a question. “Take me back to Earth.”

Peter knew what he had to say now. “No.”

“They're claiming they want to keep me out of jail,” Tony said, “so they put me in another and sent me away? Is that it?” He laughed in an ugly way.

His words were like a punch, but Peter knew they were true. Tony didn't want to be here. It wasn't his choice to go to space this time.

But his choice would get him killed, and Peter couldn't allow it.

“Steve said he was sorry,” Peter said quietly.

“He was—” Tony stopped himself. His eyes were wide and for one the moment he looked completely lost. “ _Steve_?” he asked then, very quiet.

Peter nodded. “He was worried.”

Tony started laughing, and it sounded terribly like sobs.

“He always knows best,” he said through crying. “And so do you, right? I can't make a decision of my own, you'll keep me here, you—” Tony stopped speaking. He straightened himself. When he looked at Peter, his eyes were dry and very serious. “Do you have any idea what I've done back on Earth?”

“Yes,” Peter said simply.

And it couldn't have been worse than what Peter had done in his life, anyway.

“You're my friend,” Peter continued. “And—I wish you wanted to be here now, Tony. I really do. But I'm not going to let you hurt yourself.”

“It's not your decision to make,” Tony said quietly.

“You're feeling guilty,” Peter said. “I get it. Believe me, I do. But that's so much more you have to offer to the world than giving yourself up, Tony.”

Tony shook his head. “It always comes back to weapons,” he said. “That's the one thing I can reliably offer, Peter. Weapons and death.”

It wasn't anywhere near true, and Peter had no idea how to convince Tony of it.

***

Tony walked around the ship like a ghost. He replied, if someone talked to him first, but he kept to himself and obviously tried not to run into anyone. More often than not, he'd close himself in his room, and Peter was lost, torn between wanting to go in and talk to Tony and wanting to let him have his space. He took him on the ship against his will, the least he could do was let Tony be alone, if he so wished.

Except Peter knew just how unhealthy that might be, for Tony.

Peter was supposed to keep him safe, but Tony seemed to be getting further and further from him, as if he might disappear without ever leaving the ship.

Peter tried many things.

He played with a Rubik's cube that was programmed with an AI designed to try and counter your moves; Peter knew that the Tony who had been with them earlier would have loved the chance to take it apart. Now, he just shuddered and rubbed at the bracelet still closed over his wrist.

Peter asked Rocket to take out some tech Tony might enjoy. And Tony glanced at it, and then very obviously did his best to ignore it until he hid in his room once more.

Peter steered the ship so they flew over beautiful nebulas and Tony didn't even blink.

It was scary and worrying. What could've brought this brilliant man to this?

***

Carol called one day. She looked as tired as Peter remembered.

“How is he?”

“Not good,” Peter said.

She bit her lip. “It's still not safe here,” she said.

Peter nodded slowly. “Look, I don't know him that well. I want to help him, but . . .”

“Neither do I,” Carol said, something sad in her eyes. “Not any more. And Steve . . . Steve is another matter now.” She sighed. “I'm sorry. I think I hoped—”

“It's okay,” Peter said. He could understand that. When he'd taken Tony on board, he'd hoped he'd get magically better too.

“Call me if something happens,” Carol asked.

“Sure.”

***

Peter told himself that he'd given Tony time, he'd given him space, and none of that had worked. So he knocked at Tony's door and let himself in.

Tony was lying on the narrow cot, playing with the bracelet.

“We all hurt people,” Peter said without any preamble. He didn't wait for Tony to look at him, just continued. “We all did things we're blaming ourselves for.”

“Not like that,” Tony whispered.

“So it's a competition now?” Peter asked angrily. “'I hurt more people than you did'? Or 'I hurt them worse'?” Tony flinched, but Peter refused to feel guilty. “Look, I know it wasn't really you and I know you think it was your fault anyway, but you can't change the past, so—”

“I wanted to answer for my crimes,” Tony said. “You stopped me.”

“You wanted to be punished, as if that'd help,” Peter corrected him. “I know you can do amazing things, Tony. It stands to reason that you could do terrible ones too. But the important thing? Whatever happened, it wasn't your decision.”

“People are dead, Peter. Some are hurt and will never recover.”

Peter nodded. “And if you stayed on Earth, even if you went to jail, how would that help them?”

Tony looked at the wall.

“Look, Tony,” Peter said. “Just think about it. You can do something good here. You couldn't, locked down.”

He got up and left. He'd said what he had to, and staring at Tony wouldn't help. If he hoped Tony would call him, ask him to stay, well—

He was used to disappointments.

***

Peter almost choked on his drink when Tony shuffled into the room and said, quietly, “Anything I could help with?”

Peter wanted to get up and hug him, but instead he hid his smile behind his glass. He knew it was too early to see what Tony would do later.

“We've been having engines problems,” Rocket said thoughtfully. “If your Earth knowledge is up to it.”

“Bet on it,” Tony said. “What's the issue?”

Rocket broke into jargon Peter didn't try to understand—he could fix simple things and he knew his way around the ship, but he wasn't a scientist like Tony.

He left them to it.

***

He went by the workshop later on. Tony was leaning over a pile of tech, and he had a focused look in his eyes.

Peter blinked. “Is that our engine?” he asked carefully.

Tony looked at him, grinning like a mad scientist. “Don't worry, it's okay as long as you're not planning running away from any one. I'll finish it in a few hours.”

Peter nodded. It was good to see him like this, working and sure of himself.

“Is it okay?” Tony asked suddenly, and Peter sighed inwardly. Maybe not that sure yet.

“Of course,” he said. “I—you know I trust you.”

“You shouldn't,” Tony said.

“And here you are, elbow deep in one of the engines anyway,” Peter replied. “Fix it, genius, and don't worry.”

Tony looked at the parts on the table. “I can . . .”

“Finish doing it, yes you can,” Peter interrupted him. “I'll stop bothering you.”

***

The engines definitely ran more smoothly, Peter thought. He glanced at Tony, standing behind him. “Thanks,” he said.

Tony looked at him surprised, but didn't say anything.

After a moment of hesitation, Peter reached out and took Tony's hand in his. Tony seemed unsure, but didn't move away.

Peter smiled.

***

An explosion shook the ship.

Peter started reaching out for his helmet and thought of Tony, unarmoured and helpless. It was just a few seconds of hesitation, but when the next explosion went off, he wasn't prepared himself.

He didn't remember anything else.

***

He woke up hurting all over. He could feel his hands were cuffed. He opened his eyes to see that he was in a cell protected with laser bars. He wasn't sure where exactly he was.

Tony was there as well, still unconscious next to the wall opposite Peter. He didn't see the rest of their team. He hoped they were all right.

He wanted to get up, but he felt dizzy. Head injury, if he had to guess, but he couldn't raise his cuffed hands enough to check. He crawled to Tony and tried to shake him awake.

Tony was pale, but didn't seem hurt otherwise. He looked better than Peter felt, actually. He still had the silver bracelet on his wrist.

It took a while, but he finally opened his eyes and blinked a few times before he focused on Peter. “What . . . ?” he asked.

“Someone attacked the ship,” Peter said.

Tony frowned. “I remember explosions,” he said.

“Me too,” Peter said.

“Where are the others?” Tony looked around.

“No idea,” Peter admitted.

Tony nodded. He pushed himself to a sitting position and then stared at the bars for a long moment. “Have you checked them?” he asked, something weird in his voice.

“No,” Peter said. “I just woke up myself.”

“Okay,” Tony said. “Okay.”

He took a deep breath. Peter looked at him worriedly. He acted strange, and Peter wasn't sure why. He was as used to danger as any of them. “We'll get out,” he reassured him.

Tony smiled, unamused. “Yes. We will.”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked.

“Promise me one thing.” Tony looked at him very seriously.

Peter nodded wordlessly.

“When we're out—stop me,” Tony said.

“I don't understand,” Peter protested.

Tony looked down, at his own wrist. “I'll get us out,” he said. “It's just tech. But then, stop me.”

Peter thought of what Carol had told him and thought he got it, but . . . “You don't have to do that,” he said. “We'll find a way.”

“I have to.” Tony shook his head.

There was a sudden metallic sound. Peter looked down to see the bracelet falling off Tony's wrist. Silver swirled around him, covering him in an armour, breaking the cuffs easily.

“Well, that's better,” he said in Iron Man's voice.

The armour was very different to the one Peter remembered. It was silver and smooth. Emotionless. Cold.

The bars disappeared with a hiss. Tony reached down and broke through the chain connecting Peter's handcuffs, then offered him a hand up.

Peter decided against asking what the hell he'd just done exactly.

“You all right?” he asked instead when he was standing. He swayed on his legs almost immediately.

“It seems to me I should be asking that,” Tony said. “You have a concussion,” he added after a few seconds. “But that's it.”

“I'm fine,” Peter said. Tony didn't seem to have changed into a mad villain. It was good.

Peter wanted to believe it'd last, and he trusted Tony, but he remembered how scared Tony had been of himself earlier.

“Let's get out,” he said aloud.

Tony sneaked one armoured arm around his waist and led them down the corridor. There was just one other cell with the bars turned on, and they disappeared even as Tony and Peter walked to it.

“Shiny armour, Stark,” Rocket said.

“Isn't it,” Tony said flatly.

“I am Groot.”

They weren't handcuffed; Peter wondered if it was because of their unnatural size or if Groot had broken the chains. “Where's Drax and Gamora?” he asked.

“We kinda hoped they'd be with you,” Rocket replied.

“There's another block of cells,” Tony said. “They're there. It's a bounty hunters ship. Some Badoon and Skrulls.”

“How do you know, Stark?” Rocket asked.

“We have to cross one corridor,” Tony continued. Even through the voice filters, he sounded weirdly emotionless. “When we free them, I'll switch air filters off everywhere but near the cells.”

“They'll notice we're out,” Peter said.

Tony shook his head. “No. They won't.”

“I am Groot.”

Peter agreed. Tony seemed creepy like that.

He didn't argue the plan though. It'd be hard to do still leaning on Tony.

But he started to see why Tony had thought he might need stopping.

They reached a narrow corridor. Tony had fired at a guard before Peter even noticed him.

“This way,” he said, leading them toward a door to the left.

They went on an identical corridor to the one they'd just left: a row of empty cells, and just one closed.

Tony opened it too.

“Now we wait,” he said.

Gamora and Drax seemed to be all right. They didn't have handcuffs either.

“Huh,” Gamora said. “Nice.”

“Now we wait,” Tony said.

Peter wasn't sure he liked it, but Tony had gotten them this far. He just seemed . . . impersonal somehow.

They waited.

***

“That's strangely anticlimactic,” Rocked noted as they moved between unconscious bodies. Drax and Groot were bringing them to the cells.

Peter looked at Tony. He stood very still in his armour.

Was he himself?

Tony's helmet flickered and disappeared in this moment. He looked around at them, his eyes wild. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly. “Air should be back to normal here, but what about that explosion? I know Extremis healed me, but—”

“Tony,” Peter said in a calming voice. “We're fine.”

“Are you sure? You—”

“Yes,” Peter said. He wondered how he could have thought Tony wasn't himself. The armour was a perfect mask, and Tony must have been really focused on doing what had to be done, but . . . Peter felt like he should have trusted him.

Tony stood next to the controls and faced away. “Good,” he said quietly.

Peter walked to him. “Thank you,” he said.

Tony shrugged. “What for?”

“I don't think you need stopping,” Peter said.

Tony looked at him. He was taller in the armour, and his eyes seemed to actually shine blue. “You don't know what I did.”

“I know what you did here,” Peter said. He hadn't hurt anyone. He hadn't hurt them. He had gotten them out safely. He did the thing he was so afraid of to help them. “And, really, the fact that you're still worried? Tells me you're you.”

Tony huffed a laugh. He reached out and touched Peter's cheek with his bare hand. “You're concussed.”

“You did something good with whatever it is you're using.” Peter looked at him seriously. “You're a hero. Deal with it.”

Tony smiled, as if he actually might believe it.

***

With Tony and Rocket working on it, it took less time than Peter had been afraid of to fix their ship again.

Peter hadn't seen Tony put on the armour again, but the power dampening bracelet seemed to be gone for good from his wrist.

He looked okay. Better than he had before the bounty hunters attacked them. Peter privately thought it might have been a good thing, after all. All's well that ends well and all that.

He found Tony in the evening. He was still fiddling with their shield generators.

“How're you feeling?” Peter asked.

“Fine,” Tony said.

It seemed to be true, and Peter was glad of that. But there was still something he had to say. Tony had ignored him back in the cell, but it was important. “You know you didn't have to do that.”

“You said that already,” Tony reminded him.

“We got out of places worse than that.”

Tony shrugged. “Not that fast. You were hurt. You couldn't fight.”

“I can fire a gun as long as I'm conscious,” Peter said.

“You didn't have a gun,” Tony said.

Peter waved his hand dismissively. “Details.”

“You were hurt,” Tony repeated. “I had to do something.”

Peter didn't know what to say to that. He knew if it was Tony who was hurt, he'd do everything to help him, but . . .

“I'm fine,” Tony said. “Extremis is . . . I don't want to be using it,” he admitted quietly. “But—I deleted it from my mind once and I don't want to repeat that either. So right now, it is a tool I can't get rid of. If I can save you with it . . .” he trailed off.

“Thank you,” Peter said.

“You took me in,” Tony said. “You helped me more than . . . It was the least I could do, Peter.”

“I told you you'd always have a place here,” Peter said. “No matter what.”

Tony looked away. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Peter stepped to him. He wrapped his arms around him. Tony sighed and leant his head on Peter's shoulder.

They were close. Tony wasn't running away. Peter didn't need anything else.


End file.
